Understanding
by Pinkachu
Summary: Icecloud is hurt when she sees Lionblaze, the love of her life, with Cinderheart, but it hurts even more when they break up, and Lionblaze asks for her help in winning Cinderheart back, for a contest, takes place after 'The Last Hope', IcexLionxCinder one-shot


Warning, this is a couple story, and may house something not to your liking

Everything in this story, besides the plot and writing, belong to Erin Hunter

Extra thanks to my brother, for helping me with the spacing and grammar

'''''''''''''''''''

Icecloud stared, awestruck, as the love of her life, Lionblaze, nuzzled Cinderheart.  
It took Icecloud a few moments before she could pull her blue eyes away, she looked to the ground and took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and felt her heart shatter.

She turned and walked quickly away, not wanting to look at Cinderheart, or Lionblaze again; in fact, she could not look at any couple, without picturing Lionblaze and Cinderheart in their place, and having her heart break all over again.

She blocked her eyes as she rushed past her brother, Foxleap; the ginger tom-cat was helping Briarlight, his crippled mate, out of the medicine cats den for her walk.

Icecloud cringed; she couldn't bother Foxleap, not when Briarlight was the one taking up all his time.  
Icecloud took a deep breath, held it, and rushed past into the shambles of the warriors den; she flung herself onto her bed of moss and shuddered.

''''''''''''''''''  
"Icecloud! Get up, we need help."  
Icecloud's eyes shot open at hearing her brother's voice.  
She looked up and spotted the red pelt of Foxleap.

"Yeah?" she asked, stretching and getting to her paws, and giving one a lick.

"Help me clean the brush from the floor," Foxleap meowed, smiling at his sister "it's been a long time since the last time we've done anything together, just you and me."

Icecloud smiled at this "yeah" she muttered, giving her snowy pelt one final lick, and following Foxleap out of the den.

As soon as sunlight landed on her eyes, Icecloud's blue gaze leaped to Lionblaze, the golden tom-cat was with Cinderheart, they were snuggling. Icecloud felt herself shutter, and she quickly looked away.

Foxleap smiled and lead his sister to a pile of brush on the floor, and Icecloud looked at her brother "really?" she meowed, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth "and this just so happen to be laid out like this when you found it?" Foxleap smiled, his green eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Well, maybe I moved some things around, and maybe I could have moved it all out by myself, and maybe, just maybe, I picked it all up from outside in order to get you out here alone so we could talk." Icecloud's blue eyes became wide.

"What!" she hissed, trying not to wake the whole camp with the scream she wanted to let out.

Foxleap sighed and laid his tail across his sister's shoulders "I saw you looking at me with Briarlight last night, I saw the look on your face, I saw Lionblaze and Cinderheart, Icecloud, I know you have feelings for him, pretty much everyone in Thunderclan knows, mom knew, dad knows, in fact, mom asked me to talk about this with you, before, you know." he trailed off at the thought of Ferncloud's death, it had hurt both him and Icecloud, but strangely, no more so then it seemed to hurt Bramblestar, their leader, Brambleclaw at the time.

Icecloud shuttered and her legs buckled. she fell to the floor and let out a little gasp as she buried her head in the pile of brush "I know, I love him, Foxleap, but there is nothing I can do about it, he loves Cinderheart, I'm nothing to him, but I can't stop loving him, I've tried, time and again, I wish I never let myself love him, it was too late for me by the time he and Cinderheart first started liking each other, my heart was his from the nursery, I couldn't help it, Foxleap, I couldn't!" with those last words, Icecloud dragged her blue eyes to meet her brothers green ones, she smiled sadly and pulled herself to her paws.

"You have to be strong," Foxleap said, knowing his sister was thinking the same thing "mom would want you to be strong." Icecloud nodded and touched her nose to her brother's "mom would, she always wanted us to be the best we can be," Icecloud smiled again and then looked at the pile of brush.

"And mom would want us to clean this up," she giggled "like, right now, before dad sees."

Foxleap looked around until he spotted their father, Dustpelt. He was gently grooming Sandstorm, Firestar's mate. Firestar was all Sandstorm had now that Squirrelflight and Leafpool seemed to want nothing to do with her, and now with him dead, she was not eating, not sleeping, but Dustpelt, her friend from when they were kits, seemed to calm her down much more than any other cat could have.

Foxleap smiled "I don't think he'll look anytime soon, but you're right, let's get this cleaned up."

After Icecloud and Foxleap had cleaned up the brush, Foxleap had to run to see Briarlight, leaving the white she-cat alone with her thoughts.  
She smiled, but it turned into a frown when she spotted Lionblaze and Cinderheart "I'm sorry, mom, but I can't help it, I love him." she muttered to herself.

"Icecloud!" Icecloud spun at the sound of Lionblaze calling her name. she blinked as the golden tom ran over to her, "I need your help," he meowed, fear in his golden eyes "Cinderheart and I have been fighting, and today she told me she did not want to be my mate anymore," he murmured, Icecloud's blue eyes went wide, Lionblaze and Cinderheart, no longer mates, Lionblaze came to her!

"Ferncloud was always good with this stuff, so, I was wondering, if you could help me win Cinderheart back?" and just like that, Icecloud's hopes shattered, and she felt her heart break again. She wanted nothing more than to send him away, then maybe Cinderheart wouldn't love him anymore, and she might have a scrap of hope, but as she gazed at Lionblaze, she knew she could never refuse anything to him.

"Yeah," she said, nodding "yeah, I'll help."

Lionblaze face burst into a grin and he pulled her to him in a hug "thank you, thank you, thank you!" he meowed into her ear, and Icecloud felt her broken heart flutter, and she let out a small sigh, why Starclan, why was the only tom she loved so in love with another she-cat?

For weeks, Icecloud and Lionblaze came up with plans to get Cinderheart back, and for weeks, Cinderheart had misread them, and pushed Lionblaze even further away, and for weeks, Icecloud's heart broke and rebuilt its self many times.

Every time she and Lionblaze were together, he did something to make her love him more, and every time, he would tear her heart apart with a loving meow, or look to Cinderheart, but he would always also gaze at her with love to, but it was never the same love as she knew he felt for Cinderheart.

One day, Icecloud has all she could take; Icecloud pulled herself from the warriors den and looked around for Lionblaze, but froze when she saw his golden eyes on her.

He smiled and waved his tail to her, "Icecloud!" he called. He had never been this happy to see her, and she bet that Cinderheart was the cause of it.  
Icecloud waited until her heart stopped beating so fast, steeled herself for the heart break she knew would come, and padded over to him.

"Yeah?" she asked. Lionblaze opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly, Cinderheart called out to him.

"Lionblaze! Want to go hunting with me?" she asked, Lionblaze nodded and then glanced at Icecloud, he shrugged and pulled himself to his paws, he gaze at the white she-cat before him, and then licked her forehead.

"Thank you, for helping me understand" he meowed, then walked off to Cinderheart.

Icecloud stared after them "Lionblaze," she shuttered out, her breath coming in rapid gasps, she knew it was now or never, she had to tell him, tell him she loved him, with all her heart and soul. Before she could call Lionblaze back, he and Cinderheart leaped out into the forest, Icecloud rushed after them, regardless if he loved her or not, she had to tell him.

Icecloud found Lionblaze and Cinderheart quickly, but she froze when she heard Cinderheart speak her name.

"So, what's with you and Icecloud?" Cinderheart asked. Lionblaze jumped and looked at the gray she-cat.

"Nothing much." he muttered, and Cinderheart smiled, her blue eyes glinting.

"Then, Lionblaze, I forgive you." Lionblaze jumped again at those words.

"What?" he meowed. Cinderheart smiled, turning to him "I forgive you; you can be my mate again."

Icecloud's ears dropped to her head, this is just what she wanted not to walk in on, but even she was startled at Lionblaze's next words.

"No." Lionblaze said. Cinderheart eyed him, surprise in her gaze.

"What do you mean no?" she asked, and Lionblaze smiled.

"I mean no, we can't be mates anymore, you've broken my heart too many times, I gave up on you days ago, I still love you, but not like I did before, I love someone more already."

Cinderheart glared at him, her claws digging into the ground "and I bet you love Icecloud! Right?" she hissed, and Lionblaze glared at her "I saw you with her all the time, Lionblaze!" Lionblaze nodded his golden head.

"She taught me that I don't need to be hung up so much on getting you back, she taught me how to move on, that if she doesn't love you, that you can always find someone who does. She also taught me that my love for you never was real. Cinderheart, I don't feel the same way I did about you as I feel about Icecloud right now, this is real love, Cinderheart, I understand what I had with you now, lust, and nothing more, but with Icecloud, it's love."

Cinderheart snorted, she then spun on her heels and took off into the brush. Lionblaze sighed, "I was hoping she would take it easier." he muttered.

"She didn't, but I did," Icecloud meowed, stepping from the bush, love shining in her blue eyes. Lionblaze jumped.

"Icecloud!" he meowed "um, I, um, how much did you hear?" ignoring his question, Icecloud walked over to the golden tom-cat and licked his forehead.

"Shush, I love you too" she meowed, a small smile on her face "I always have." Lionblaze smiled and licked one of her ears.

"I think I always have too, Icecloud, I just needed someone to show me."


End file.
